Bothell the latest city to test electric scooters

BOTHELL, Wash. — Bothell will add Lime scooters as a mode of transportation around the city Friday.

The city will become the fourth in Washington State to get them.

Friday morning, as many as 100 Lime scooters will start appearing in downtown Bothell, with two to four scooters parked at each location.

Rentable scooters are popular in cities around the country, including Tacoma, because they give people a new option for getting around between transit trips.

Scroll down to continue reading

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP 

Using an app, riders pay $1 to unlock the scooters and then 25 cents per minute for the ride.

Everett also recently rolled out electric scooters and Seattle is on track to try them early next year.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has been hesitant about the scooters, concerned about liability and safety.

Some doctors have raised the alarm about scooter injuries because riders rarely wear helmets.

“Only four percent were actually wearing helmets and most of these injuries were from people simply falling off the scooter,” said Dr. Fred Rivara of Harborview Medical Center.

Bothell's city council will decide whether to continue with rentable scooters after the three-month pilot program.

City officials remind people to park scooters out of the way of pedestrians and to not block accessible ramps or bus stops.  They also want people to ride them in the street and not on sidewalks.

Cox Media Group